Black squares in a square frame on billboards, magazines and websites… but what are they?
They are the QR Codes (an acronym for Quick Response): a two dimensional matrix codes, which can be read by a mobile phone with camera, for obtaining textual information, which can contain more than 4000 types.
Some mobile phones already have this application, but you can also download it in some websites like i-nigma and QuickMark.

With a simple mobile phone with camera, we can find texts and links that connect us quickly to a website, a video or an image (the mobile phone must have an internet access).
Whenever you photograph a QR Code, there is a surprise: you never know what those black squares can hide!

QR Code can give special contents which billboards and print media could not give.
In fact “La Compagnia della Rancia” (an italian theatrical company), for the first time in the world of live entertainment in Italy, has recently used the QR Code in the new billboard of “Cats” to promote this musical in Milan.
These codes allow you to access the video contents, the Facebook fanpage of the musical and to buy the tickets with exclusive promotions.

We are kawaii girls, so these codes aren’t aesthetically very kawaii for us! There is no problem, maybe just thinking about people like us, who love graphics and colors, Designed QR Code were invented!
In Japan, where QR Codes were invented in 1994, very artistic and colorful QR Codes have been created to promote the mobile websites:

Louis Vuitton, in collaboration with the Japanese artist Takashi Murakami, has created a QR Code in Superflat style.
Here you can also see a really kawaii video titled “First Love Superflat”, linked to this collaboration.

What are you waiting for? Have fun to create your QR Code!
And if you do not have the right mobile phone, there are also many websites that allow you to create a QR Code online, such as i-nigma, QuickMark, Mobile-Barcodes, etc.